Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokyo: $1,688 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Tokyo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Tokyo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,688 in Tokyo.

Lisbon $2,210
Tokyo $1,688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $2,588 in Tokyo.

Lisbon $3,275
Tokyo $2,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $3,489 in Tokyo.

Lisbon $4,341
Tokyo $3,489

Living in Lisbon is roughly 31% more expensive than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Tokyo 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.91

$7.72 ¥1,217

115.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$37.51 ¥5,909

64.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.17

$5.01 ¥788

126.75%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$3.68 ¥579

-19.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.51 ¥238

51.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.85 ¥133

104.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$3.77 ¥594

-9.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$5.75 ¥906

-42.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.49 ¥235

-22.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.73 ¥273

10.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$5.80 ¥913

-73.97%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.25 ¥354

78.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$11.50 ¥1,811

12.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.96

$6.96 ¥1,096

11.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.91

$16.39 ¥2,582

8.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$4.73 ¥745

-51.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$2.28 ¥359

-24.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$4.26 ¥671

-56.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$5.37 ¥845

-51.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$3.29 ¥519

-44.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.00 ¥473

-34.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.15 ¥181

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.80 ¥126

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.89 ¥613

69.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$9.72 ¥1,531

-42.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.70 ¥268

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.66 ¥419

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.25 ¥197

86.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.01

$62.4 ¥9,835

-28.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.15 ¥495

22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$3.14 ¥494

-65.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.74

$18.98 ¥2,989

-13.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.11 ¥175

98.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.2K €30.6K

$22.5K ¥3.5M

51.96%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.7K €34.7K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

152.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$161 €144

$147 ¥23.1K

9.75%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.41 €16.49

$23.17 ¥3,650

-20.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.32

$30.10 ¥4,741

8.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.90

$57.4 ¥9,048

-22.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

$26.48 ¥4,171

-27.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$13.39 ¥2,109

-28.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$668 €598

$1,410 ¥222.1K

-52.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

-5.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$55.3 ¥8,715

84.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.82

$32.43 ¥5,108

37.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.2

$64.4 ¥10.1K

52.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$72.1 ¥11.4K

71.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,440

$1,329 ¥209.4K

21.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$729 ¥114.8K

63.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,519

$2,622 ¥413.1K

7.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,803

$1,401 ¥220.7K

43.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,021

$10.7K ¥1.7M

-26.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,098

$5,054 ¥796.1K

-9.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$3,019 ¥475.5K

-47.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.25

71.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Tokyo

$729 43.2% 38.8% $461

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Tokyo

$327 19.4% 20.2% $55

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Tokyo

$161 9.5% 33.7% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Tokyo

$200 11.9% 5.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Tokyo

$101 6% 39.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Tokyo

$84 5% 32.1% $20

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Tokyo

$86 5.1% 36.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $1,329 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 92% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $38 in Tokyo. Groceries flip the comparison at $272 vs $327, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

9 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Tokyo 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,688 in Tokyo, so Tokyo is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $1,329 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $1,410 in Tokyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Tokyo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Tokyo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.